The international organization attributes the escalator stoppage to an accidental activation of a built-in safety feature.
Published On 24 Sep 2025
The United Nations has released a clarification following an escalator malfunction that occurred as US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were entering the General Assembly hall, countering earlier White House suggestions of deliberate interference.
Just moments before President Trump’s address on Tuesday, the escalator they were using unexpectedly stopped, forcing the couple to ascend the stairs instead.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed strong disapproval on social media, demanding immediate dismissal and investigation of any UN personnel suspected of intentionally halting the escalator.
Leavitt’s comments referenced a report from The Times, where the British newspaper’s Washington editor, Katy Balls, mentioned that some UN employees had joked about disabling escalators and elevators to compel Trump to climb the stairs.
In response to the controversy, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric explained that the stoppage was likely triggered unintentionally by a videographer from the Trump entourage who stepped onto the escalator ahead of the president and first lady.
“Our investigation, including an analysis of the escalator’s central processing unit, revealed that the safety mechanism at the comb step was activated, causing the escalator to halt,” Dujarric stated.
“This safety feature is designed to prevent entrapment of individuals or objects in the machinery. It appears the videographer inadvertently engaged this protective function.”
Attempts to obtain a comment from Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, were unsuccessful.
President Trump appeared to handle the incident with humor during his speech, quipping that the United Nations provided him with “a faulty escalator and a malfunctioning teleprompter.”
“If the first lady weren’t in excellent shape, she might have fallen, but thankfully she’s very fit,” Trump joked, eliciting laughter from the audience.
“We’re both doing well.”
He later revisited the episode on his social media platform, Truth Social, writing, “The teleprompter broke and the escalator suddenly stopped as we were riding up to the podium, but those glitches probably made the speech more engaging than it would have been otherwise.”
“It’s always a privilege to address the United Nations, even if their equipment isn’t quite up to par.”
